Traditionally, loose-leaf binders of the prior art are typically comprised of a binding having a back member or spine attached between a front panel and a rear panel. A principle component of prior art loose-leaf binders is one or more selectively openable retaining members such as, for example, D-rings, spreadable tabs, extendable posts, rods, or the like. In typical design, prior art retaining members are generally distributed along the linear length of the binder contiguous with the back member or spine.
Retaining members of the prior art may be secured to a clamping mechanism that is attached by some suitable fastener to the back member or spine of the binder. In the alternative, a row or series of posts or rods may extend substantially outward from the rear panel of a binder in such a manner so as to selectively engage corresponding capping sleeves extending substantially outward from the front panel, thus providing a means for binding both the front and rear panels of the binder. As readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, various configurations, shapes, and/or attachment schemes, as well as attachment locations of prior art retaining members, exist in the art for loose-leaf binders.
In operation, each retaining member usually engages one or more openings formed in a leaf of paper or a protective sheet which may be selectively introduced into and retained by prior art loose-leaf binders. Typically, prior art loose-leaf binders are formed having two, three, five, seven, or sometimes dozens of retaining members operably disposed in relation to the back member or spine of the binder which provide a means for engaging a plurality of selectively insertable leafs or protective sheets. Because of the various retaining member configurations and the standardization of sizes and placement of retaining members as is appreciated in the art, prior art loose-leaf binders are sometimes referred to by the capacity of insertable leafs or sheets and, more specifically, by the standard number or configuration of retaining members that are operably disposed in relation therewith. For example, those in the art may make reference to "D-ring" binders, "three-ring" binders, "three-inch, three-ring" binders, "two-post, lay-flat" binders, and/or "two-inch, three-ring, D-ring" binders, and so forth.
Because of the numerous types, sizes, and configurations of prior art loose-leaf binders, those skilled in the art developed insertable leafs and protective sheets comprising engagement openings which conform to one or more of the multiplicity of retaining member configurations readily known in the art. Correspondingly, the size and dimension of insertable paper leafs and/or protective sheets generally vary depending upon their market application. For example, the dimensional size of an eight and one-half inches by eleven inches (81/2".times.11") sheet has become a standard size for prior art insertable leafs and/or protective sheets manufactured in the industry and, accordingly, loose-leaf binders of the prior art are often described by the size of the insertable leaf or protective sheet introduced and selectively retained therein. Other insertable leaf or protective sheet sizes that are manufactured by those in the industry may include, for example, three and three-fourth inches by six and three-fourth inches (33/4".times.63/4"), five and one-half inches by eight and one-half inches (51/2".times.81/2"), legal size (81/2".times.14"), and so forth. Moreover, protective sheets of the prior art are typically formed having a size which is slightly larger in dimension than standardized paper sizes so as to provide a means for housing one or more leafs of paper, paperboard, or the like which may comprise pictures and/or other memorabilia mounted thereon.
In an effort to provide protective sheets for loose-leaf binders comprising a means for protecting mounted pictures and/or other memorabilia disposed in relation thereto, those skilled in the art developed prior art sheet protectors formed of an upper and lower layer of substantially transparent plastic material so as to permit viewing of a leaf or sheet of paper, paperboard, or the like which may be selectively disposed within a receiving pocket defined between the upper and lower layers. For example, one or more pockets or compartments may be provided for removably introducing coupons, photographic film strips, negatives or individual frames thereof, prints, or, alternatively, one or more sheets of paper, paperboard or the like having pictures and/or other memorabilia mounted thereon.
In structural design, the pockets or compartments of these prior art sheet protectors are generally formed along a series of parallel spaced sealing lines and perpendicular spaced sealing lines thereby defining rectangular pockets or compartments between the three sealing lines which have a dimension somewhat greater than the height and length of a photographic film strip. Similarly, an open end or slit may be formed that extends across the top of each pocket or compartment substantially the entire length thereof to provide a means for removably introducing one or more photographic items.
In addition, sheet protectors of the prior art were developed which incorporate a pair of complimentary tabs laterally extending from corresponding edges of the respective upper and lower layers of the sheet protector. Accordingly, the tabs may be sequentially indexed with respect to each other in order to provide a set of position selectable sheet protectors that can be selectively disposed within a loose-leaf binder or scrapbook. Another example of sheet protectors of the prior art includes a spacer frame having a backing sheet with outer edges being coterminous with those of the spacer frame to define a mat window of a display frame wherein a picture, certificate, and/or other memorabilia may be introduced or mounted. The display frame of this prior art sheet protector generally includes one or more openings which selectively engage at least one retaining member of a loose-leaf binder when selectively introduced in relation therewith.
Another example of prior art sheet protectors includes transparent plastic folders comprising an upper opening formed between a top sheet and a bottom sheet, a binding part formed between a first sealed edge disposed parallel and in spaced-apart relation to a second sealed edge, and a third sealed edge disposed perpendicular to the first and second sealed edges and formed along the lower side of the top and bottom sheets of the transparent plastic folder. A dotted or pressed line may be provided in parallel with the second sealed edge to assist in folding the transparent plastic folder. A substantial disadvantage with prior art transparency folders, however, is its general inability to structurally retain insertable contents (e.g., a sheet of paper, paperboard, or the like having pictures and/or other memorabilia mounted thereon or, in the alternative, coupons, plies of photographic film, negatives, prints, and so forth) within the receiving pocket which includes only two sealed sides, thus allowing the insertable contents to easily escape therefrom.
In an attempt to conform the shape and/or configuration of sheet protectors for reproduction by means of a printing device, those skilled in the art developed a one-piece divider assembly comprising a divider sheet having a binding edge which may be folded over along one edge for the purpose of feeding the sheet into a conventional printer for the purpose of image or text reproduction. More specifically, the prior art divider assembly includes a binding edge region having a folding portion which has spaced ring apertures for selectively engaging one or more retaining members of a loose-leaf binder and a non-folding portion which is separated by a folding line about which the folding portion may fold. In structural design, the binding edge region is generally formed having a reduced thickness such that when the folding portion is folded over and adhesively tacked down over the non-folding portion, the total thickness of both the folding and non-folding portions is approximately the same as the general thickness of the main body of the sheet of the binder assembly.
One disadvantage of divider assemblies of the prior art is the cost associated with the multiplicity of working parts. As will be appreciated in the art, economic considerations of this nature are significant when dealing with this highly competitive industry, since relatively complicated sheet protectors are frequently found to be commercially impractical. Accordingly, even a slight savings in cost may substantially enhance the commercial appeal of a particular component or assembly when considering issues of mass production of the product.
Another significant disadvantage with sheet protectors of the prior art as generally described above is the difficultly in turning or manipulating the contents (e.g., a sheet of paper, paperboard, or the like having pictures and/or other memorabilia displayed thereon or, in the alternative, coupons, plies of photographic film, negatives, prints, and so forth) selectively introduced into one or more receiving pockets or compartments of the sheet protector, thus making it cumbersome and sometimes difficult to flex or bend an insertable sheet without inadvertently bending the contents and causing damage thereto.
Some prior art sheet protectors also suffer from excessive bending when placed in a binder. This situation may commonly occur with sheet protectors tightly packed into a binder having extendable rods. When this binder is opened such that the front and back covers are fully open to form a common plane, the sheet protectors will be substantially bent near the openings in the protectors. This occurs because the protector portion adjacent the holes is substantially perpendicular with the rods, whereas the protector portion on the edge opposite the holes is substantially parallel with the rods. Thus, the protector will bend and flex, mostly near the holes. Accordingly, the contents inside of the protectors will also bend.
Because of this bending and flexing of the protectors near the holes, many sheet protectors are difficult to turn. Moreover, the bending of the material inside the protector can be exacerbated when the protector page is turned, which can result in further damage to the material. In addition, certain fixed materials may make the page harder to turn.
Consistent with the foregoing, while prior art sheet protectors may appear generally suitable for their intended purpose, they nevertheless leave much to be desired from the standpoint of providing protection against the damage caused by the bending of the insertable contents. In this regard, the present invention provides a sheet protector having a flexible pocket which provides a means for flexing along the dimensional length of the pocket rather than inadvertently bending the contents of the sheet protector and causing damage thereto. Thus, the present invention overcomes several deficiencies of prior art sheet protectors and resolves several problems left unsolved by the known prior art.